The present invention relates to a device for inflating a tubeless tire for handling vehicles, which tire is mounted on its service rim with a sealing ring arranged on the rim base between the inner walls of the two beads of said tire. It also concerns the method of inflation using such a device.
In known manner, the method of inflating of an assembly such as that described above consists in providing the sealing ring for the inflation with a cylindrical orifice into which there is inserted a tube provided at its radially outer end with a thread serving for the screwing on of a nut after the putting a sealing washer in place, and at its radially inner end with a second thread onto which a so-called "single bend" valve or a rigid or flexible bent extension is screwed, after putting a second sealing washer in place.
Such an inflation device has numerous drawbacks and, more particularly, it gives rise to difficulties in mounting the sealing ring on the service rim and difficulties in putting the valve branch in place. Due to the position of the end of the threaded tube, the radially inner face of the sealing ring has an excess thickness, and as a normally thick sealing ring is scarcely extensible, its passage on the rim in order to reach the passage opening for the valve is very inconvenient.
Furthermore, the threaded tube and the sealing ring being correctly positioned, the screwing of the "single bend" valve branch or of a bent valve extension is not an easy operation due to the presence of the wheel disk present in the vicinity of the opening in the rim, and it is necessary to effect several turns of the valve branch in order to lock it by screwing.